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| HOME, Tour de France, Location and distances, Walking in the area, Lakes and Rivers, Ski-ing in the Ariege |
| Farmhouse Gite - 2 bedrooms, Sleeps up to 4 people. Prices and Availability, Guests Comments |
| Gite L'Ecurie - 1 bedroom apartment - Sleeps up to 2 people. Prices and Availability, Guests Comments |
| The Swimming Pool and Grounds |
| Sports in the Area, Things to do, Nearby Towns and Villages, Useful Links |
| A Year at a Glance, Information on the Cathars and Cathar Sites, BOOKS/MAPS Ariege related |
| Our recommended restaurants in the area. Local supermarkets |
| Links to other B&B in Britain, Channel Islands and France |
| Booking Enquiries Form, Travel Information, CONTACT US |
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An ideal location for country
lovers!
1 hour from Toulouse or Carcassonne
Ariege, SW France
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| See article in The Sunday Times 10 January 2010 - No. 30 The 100 Best Holidays in 2010 (click here) |
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| Front of St Victor du Fau |
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| 12m x 6m Swimming pool - 28 C today! |
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| Sunflowers nearby |
Holiday-vacation rental accommodation
in the Ariege Pyrenees (Department 09) near Pamiers, Foix & Mirepoix. Ski resorts nearby and beautiful views of the countryside.
2 Gites
Farmhouse
sleeps up to 4 people only - self catering - 3 storey
farmhouse
2011 availability
19th June - 3rd July
23rd July - 6th August
Wifi
enabled
Evening meals available (not on Saturdays during June, July & August)
L'Ecurie
sleeps up to 2 people only - self catering - ground floor apartment
from 1st April
- 20th December 2010
from 1st March - 20th December 2011
Wifi enabled
Evening meals available (not on Saturdays during June, July & August)
Why not rent both gites, bring family or friends - they sleep up to 6 people
in total.
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| See more photos of St Victor du Fau & area on Facebook |
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| View of the Pyrenees from our drive |
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| View towards St Victor Rouzaud |
Wifi enabled
(1Mb) in both the Farmhouse & L'Ecurie
English Satellite TV
In-house Cuisine
Large Swimming
Pool Use of full size snooker table Cycle & Motorbike Friendly
Approximately 4km from the "Chemin St Jacques de Compostelle"
Many local public footpaths -
"Grand Randonee"
Languages spoken:
English & French
Pet friendly accommodation in L'Ecurie
during low season (Please notify us about pets before booking)
Telephone or Fax: +33 (0)561 607721 Mobile: +33 (0)6 17 05 25 17 Telephone (3p/minute from UK): 0844 232 6192
VOIP (internet) Telephone: +33 (0)962 556115
Time zone: GMT +2
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| This is where we are - CLICK ON map to enlarge it. |
ST VICTOR DU FAU
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| The Stars of the show, "Annabelle Labrador" and "Tanga Cat" |
The Spencer family, their black Labrador
Annabelle and tabby cat Tanga at St
Victor du Fau offer you a warm welcome at their
luxurious and large 2 bedroom Ariegeoise
self-catering, 3-storey farmhouse and attached comfortable, rustic, self catering 1 bedroom, ground floor apartment
"L'Ecurie." St Victor du Fau, a typical Ariegeoise farmhouse built circa 1800’s
has been charmingly restored by its present owners. Deceptively modest in size from the front of the property, on entering
the front door of the Farmhouse, the rooms rooms are large and bright. The house has been modernised and brought into the
21st century whilst retaining its charm and many original features.
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| View of Pic de Barthelmy, the ski resort of Monts D'Olmes |
Set in a gentle valley
amongst the rolling hills on 50 acres of open farmland and woods on a "Reserve Nationale" (national park),
at the end of an 800m gravel drive, only 5kms from the important and medieval town Pamiers.
St Victor du Fau is located on the boundaries of the Communes of Pamiers, Escosse and St Victor Rouzaud and the area is known
by the locals as "Le Terrefort" (the highground). The roads nearby the property were used as part of the major
cycling race "Le Tour de France" in the summer of 2006 and 2010.
Pamiers hosted the start of the 15th Stage on 19th July and the route was only about 3 kms from the farmhouse. TOUR DE FRANCE 2010 link
2010 Tour de France - Wikipedia information
The locality is a conservation area and is outstandingly beautiful
and peaceful. It is an ideal holiday location for guests seeking peace and calm, in a rural location, yet minutes
from very good local amenities. Ideal for birdwatching, walking and enjoying the wonderful wildlife, trees, countryside
and wildflowers including the wild orchids in May. As the area is very unpolluted, the night sky is also fantastic for
star gazing and we can often see the Milky Way very clearly, plus shooting stars in the Autumn.
A car, motorbike or bicycle is essential to get to St
Victor du Fau. There is ample parking and dry storage.
We try to do our bit for the environment and encourage
recycling (we will supply recycling bags during your stay). The Farmhouse and L'Ecurie are fitted with low
energy Eco bulbs (wherever possible), there is a condensing boiler and excellent insulation. We would welcome
our guests to have the same mindset regarding the usage of electricity and water usage whilst staying here when possible.
MISCELLANEOUS
Evening
meals can be provided for both L'Ecurie & Farmhouse guests. Menus are available for meat and fish
eaters, vegetarians and vegans. Sadly evening meals cannot be provided on changeover days (Saturdays) during June, July
& August. At least 12 hours notice must be given for any meal request and before your arrival should you wish
to eat on a Sunday. In-house cusine meals must start between 7.00pm and 7.30pm, for 1, 2 or 3 courses.
Please ask for menu on booking your gite. We are happy to book a restaurant in Pamiers should you require an evening
meal on the night of your arrival.
House-hunting - why not use St Victor du Fau as your base
and to look at property in this beautiful area of France with our local estate agent who lives in St Victor
Rouzaud.
Horse-riding - the equestrian centre across the valley from St Victor du Fau offers
1-2 hour hacks around the local countryside. This can be organised before or during your stay.
If you require
a hairdresser for a cut or other extensive work, we have a local British hairdresser who is very good and
has worked extensively in top London hotels and on cruise ships.
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| Click on this painting for more information on classes |
In St Victor Rouzaud there is Professional Watercolour artist who gives watercolour
art classes. There are day and half day classes available. All day courses include a 2 course lunch
and refreshments and the half day courses include drinks and refreshments. The classes are held experience or unexperienced
people are welcome to attend and all materials are provided.
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| Click on here to enter Potential Energy's website |
If you would like to do something a bit different, Pat Penny (European Register of Exercise Professionals) from
Potential Energy has a number of health promoting activities which our guests are able to partake:
Pool workout (1 hour)
Massage based on Swedish massage (1 hour)
Health & Fitiness Appraisal (1-1.5 hours)
Walking (1-1.5 hours)
Nordic Walking (1-1.5 hours)
Cycling for the terrified (1-1.5 hours)
Tennis for children
& adults up to club level (1-1.5 hours)
A half day Health & Fitness package (3 hours)
Prices or further
information is available in the gites or can be sent in advance of your stay.
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| Click on this photo to find more information on Velomondo |
Bicycle hire can be arranged during or before your stay from Velomondo in Mirepoix.
They have a good selection of bicycles, a variety of sizes to suit adults and children, plus helmets and child seats.
They will deliver to St Victor du Fau. Click on the bicycle photo adjacent to enter Velomondo's website.
| Click on photo to enter Valorme's website |
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We are also linked to a local French language school in Foix, "Valorme" which
offers Intensive French immersion course for adults and are happy to provide accommodation in Gite L'Ecurie
throughout the year or any Farmhouse guests between May & September.
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| Click on the cake to find out more information. |
If you would like to arrange a bespoke Birthday cake for one of you whilst
you are here, there is a lady near Pamiers who makes all sorts of cakes.
LOCATION, TRAVEL & DISTANCES
Pamiers the nearest large town has a number of bars, restaurants, supermarkets and shops and is an hour’s
drive from either Carcassonne or Toulouse airport and is just off the A66 Autoroute/N20 which then continues south
to Andorra. British Airways, Easyjet, Flybe, BMI Baby, Air France and Jet2 all
fly into Toulouse from the UK. Air Lingus flies into Toulouse from Dublin in Ireland. Ryanair flies into Carcassonne, Perpignan, Pau
and Girona (Barcelona). Information on car hire, airlines, airports, train travel and ferry information can
be found on the last page of this website.
Driving from the Brittany coast takes about 9 hours & from Calais about
10 hours. Private plane flyers can take advantage of the small local airport
(for light aircraft and very rarely, the occasional Lear Jet) at Les Pujols which is a 15 minute drive from
the farmhouse. Taxis and car hire can be arranged for our guests.
There is also Motorail from Calais to Toulouse
or Narbonne whereby one can bring their own car and travel on the train without the effort of driving down through France.
The TGV also comes from Paris to Toulouse. From Toulouse one is able to get a direct (stopping) train to Pamiers
which takes about 1 hour. Car hire with Europecar is also available in the town centre should this be required. OTHER VILLAGES, TOWNS AND PLACES
There are other large towns nearby which are Foix, Mirepoix & St Girons, plus
other lovely villages of Escosse, Carla Bayle, Maz D’Azil, St Martin D’Oydes, Le Fossat, Benagues, Madiere , Unzent,
Bonnac, St Michel & Pailhes all of which are within 25 minutes drive. The Pyrenean ski resorts of Ax-Bonascre, Les
Monts D’Olmes (downhill) and Plateau de Beille & Domaine du Chioula (cross-country & raquettes) are all possible
to reach within an hour. The large walled fortress town of Carcassonne is an easy drive of about an hour.
The seaside Mediterranean towns of Narbonne, Gruisson & Leucate are about 1½ hours away by
car. Andorra is about a 2 hour drive which is tax-free and not part of France or the EU. |
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LAKES & RIVERS
There are a number of fresh water lakes, where one can walk
or swim. The nearest ones are at Lac de Mondeley, Lac de Carla Bayle or Lac de Filheit. Mondeley and Carla
Bayle both have sandy swimming beaches and the Filheit is primarily for walking and fishing. A little
further afield towards Mirepoix is Lac Montbel which is also good for swimming and has pedalos and kayaks.
Click
on the link below for more information about swimming in lakes and rivers in the Ariege.
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| Lac de Mondeley |
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| Lac Montbel |
At Mercus part of the river Ariege is set aside for swimming, windsurfing and water teleski-ing. There is also a beach
where people can sit and picnic. This is a 25 minute drive from St Victor du Fau.
Information on lakes, rivers and swimming in the Ariege
Local Scenery and Walking/Hiking
in the Pyrenees
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| View on a walk in the Pyrenees |
Stunning views of the Pyrenees can be seen from the
end of the drive plus the rolling hills West of Pamiers and beyond. This is a fantastic location
for walks and touring the fine Cathar countryside which is steeped in history. Many local towns and places have been
mentioned in books such as The Labyrinth and The Albigensian Crusade.
Link to information on walking and hiking in the Pyrenees
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| Local area |
Apart from walking the local area is ideal for rambling,
photography, bird watching, cycling, ski-ing, sledging, raquette walking or wildlife watching and enjoying
the beauty of the surrounding area in the clean, fresh air.
Plateau de Beille, Ariege
Plateau de Beille is at an altitude of 1790 metres above sea level and is about a 45
minute drive from Pamiers. The road to it starts from Les Cabannes just after Tarascon on the N20 heading
south. This road has been used in many of the Tour de France and other cycling races.
Plateau
de Beille is primarily a winter ski resort with cross-country ski-ing, raquettes and dog sledging with Huskies. It is
close to the Spanish border and the ski slopes are between 1650 and 2000 metres high. It is also the most
important cross-country ski resort in the Pyrenees.
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| Plateau de Beille in the Summertime |
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| Wikipedia - information |
Chemin
de St Jacques de Compostelle
The "Chemin St Jacques de Compostelle"
(The Way of St James) an ancient pilgrims route to Spain runs straight through Pamiers and our nearest village, St Victor
Rouzaud (4kms from St Victor du Fau) then on towards Montegut-Plantaurel. Using the GR78 route (national footpath)
from Pamiers to St Victor Rouzaud the journey would take approximately 2½ hours
Throughout the
town of Pamiers, places of interest are pointed out with information boards. The route through Pamiers is detailed below.
Ski-ing Locally and Snow
Sledging
There are a number of ski resorts in the Ariege,
the largest being Ax-Bonascre for downhill ski-ing which has the most runs of various levels. Ax can be reached
by train or car from Pamiers and then there is a "bubble car" up to the resort. It is best to arrive
early in the day as they do limit the amount of people going up in the bubble, as they have to bring them all back down again.
(Please see link below on Ski Rail link available during the winter season and school holidays, all stations from
Toulouse to all the local ski resorts in the area).
Plateau de Beille near Les Cabannes is the best resort
for snow-walking, raquettes and cross-country ski-ing. Les Monts D'Olmes is at a slightly lower altitude ski
resort than Bonascre, has less runs, yet still very good. You can also enjoy watching or taking a husky sleigh
ride from here which some of our guests have experienced.
One can take a "navette" (shuttle bus) which
leaves Mirepoix at 8.00am during the Christmas holidays and on a Saturday throughout the season. It arrives at Les Monts
D'Olmes at 9.00am. The return journey starts from Monts D'Olmes at 5.00pm and arrives in Mirepoix approximately
6.00pm. The price per adult is 4 Euros return. Les Montsl D'Olmes can also be reached via the Ski Rail link
via Foix shown below.
All the above mentioned resorts however, are reachable by car and the roads are normally
well gritted and salted. Skis, poles, sledges and raquettes can be hired at the resorts on the slopes. There are
a number of restaurants and bars in each resort.
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| Ax-Bonascre - excellent for downhill ski-ing! |
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| Plateau de Beille, excellent for cross country ski-ing |
Downhill Ski Resorts in the Ariege
Ax
Les 3 Domaines - 1400-2400m - 75km piste
Guzet
- 1100-2100m - 40km piste Les Monts
D'Olmes - 1500-2115m - 18.5km piste Ascou
Pailhes - 1500-2000m - 20kms piste Mijanes
Donezan - 1530-2000m - 9kms piste Goulier
Neige - 1500-2000m - 5kms piste
Cross Country Ski Resorts in the Ariege
Plateau de Beille - 1800-2000m - 75kms piste
Domaine du Chioula - 1240-1640m - 60kms piste Etang de Lers - 1300-1615m - 30kms piste La Tour Lafont - 1250-1500m - 15kms piste
Bank Holidays in France 2010
All Saints Day (Toussaint) - Monday 1st November
Armistice Day (Armistice 1918) - Thursday 11th November
Christmas Day - Saturday 25th December
Bank Holidays in France 2011
Easter Day (Paques) - Sunday 24th April
Easter Monday (Lundi de Paques) - Monday
25th April
Labour Day - 1st May
VE Day - WW11 Victory Day (Fete de la Victoire 1945)
- 8th May
Ascension Day - 2nd June
Whit Sunday - Pentecost (Pentecote)
- Sunday 12th June
Whit Monday - Pentecost Monday (Pentecote Lundi) - Monday 13th
June
Bastille Day (Fete Nationale) - 14th July
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- 15th August
All Saints Day (Toussaint) - 1st November
Armistice Day (Armistice 1918) - 11th November Christmas Day - 25th December
It is good to bear in mind that should you arrive (or are staying) on one of these Public Holidays that many of the shops
will be closed although there will still be a number of restaurants open. Most supermarkets are closed or will have
reduced opening times. Normally the bakers are open and the some "8 til late" mini supermarkets will
be open until midday.
Link to French school holidays - Midi-Pyrenees is in Zone A
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| St Victor du Fau with snowfall |
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This website was designed and built by Sara Spencer
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"Les Fittes" Pension pour Chiens et Chats
Local Dog Kennel & Cattery near Carla Bayle
| Les Fittes Dog Kennels & Cattery near Carla Bayle |
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Les Fittes Dog Kennels & Cattery near Carla Bayle
Export &
Import of Pets Specialists and Air Transport
20 minutes
drive from St Victor du Fau.
2
large bedroom farmhouse gite 1
bedroom apartment gite
Swimming
pool. Large grounds. Full size snooker table. Near Pamiers, Foix & Mirepoix, Ariege.
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